As anticipated, the CVSA International Roadcheck 2020 has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The three-day event, which is a high-visibility, high-volume inspection and regulatory enforcement event, will no longer take place on May 5-7. Organizers say that they “will monitor the status of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and appropriately select the new dates when it’s safe and reasonable to do so”.
Despite the postponement, in the US roadside safety inspections and traffic enforcement will continue to be conducted every day; with enforcement personnel continuing to follow their various departmental health and safety policies and procedures.
So is there a new date on the calendar for the international roadcheck yet? Well, not yet, but once the rescheduled dates are available, CVSA says they will notify the commercial motor vehicle enforcement community, the motor carrier industry, the press and the public.
What is the CVSA International Roadcheck?
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) International Roadcheck is obviously an event we at Veturilo look on with particular interest, but in case you are new to the world of connected cars, vehicle management, or technology in cars generally, here’s a brief definition:
The event, according to the CVSA, is:
a high-volume, high-visibility three-day enforcement initiative aimed at highlighting the importance of commercial motor vehicle safety through roadside inspections. Over a 72-hour period, commercial motor vehicle inspectors in jurisdictions throughout North America inspect commercial motor vehicles and drivers.
Every year, it places a special emphasis on a category of violations. The focus in 2020 – which we expect will not change, is on the driver requirements category of a roadside inspection.
According to the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) fiscal 2019 data (as of Dec. 27, 2019), of the 3.36 million inspections conducted, 944,794 driver violations were discovered, of which 195,545 were out-of-service conditions.
How best to prepare
Now that you have some extra time to prepare for the 2020 edition here’s some things to look out for:
Visual inspection of visible features
According to the CVSA, the checks that they will carry out will be on cargo security, coupling devices, driveline and driveshaft components, driver’s seat(s), exhaust systems, frames, lighting devices, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims and hubs, and windshield wipers.
Not satisfied with that lot? There’s more. Additional items in the checklist for vehicles such as passenger vans or other passenger-carrying vehicles, include emergency exits, as well as temporary and aisle seating.
Understandably, many drivers choose to stay off the roads during the three-day inspection period to avoid it, but that’s not the kind of tactic you should be following as a fleet manager or small business owner that runs a small fleet of vehicles. Why? For one you face lost earnings from those three days. But more importantly, these kinds of inspections are carried out all year round, in any case. The only difference is that during CVSA International Roadcheck, they are more intense in number.
And anyway, since it was postponed you have plenty of time to prepare for it. And resolve any issues that might have caused your company falling into the out-of-service category.
Use Veturilo and be ready
And here’s where we at Veturilo come in. If anyone, or any solution, can help you prepare, it’s us and ours. A cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vehicle management solution, Veturilo enables fleet owners and managers to manage and monitor their fleet of vehicles, easily and affordably, anytime, anywhere! Not only that, it’s feature-rich platform means you can make sure your vehicles are always in tip-top shape.
Veturilo and some key “invisible” features
According to CVSA, checks also include brake systems, fuel systems, and steering mechanisms. In addition, some other key items are in passenger vans or other passenger-carrying vehicles, such as checking electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments. By making use of Veturilo’s diagnostic trouble code alert systems, you can check and know if there are any problems that may be affecting your vehicle’s emissions or engine performance. By monitoring your DTCs and handling any issues in time, you’ll be in “always prepared” mode.
Check your drivers
In the world of motoring efficiency, especially related to vehicle management, your drivers are everything. And with them their driving behavior. I’m talking about good, responsible drivers, those who practice defensive driving. These are the kinds of drivers who will look after your vehicles with pride, and always have safety and punctuality at the top of their minds.
The alternative? We all know what aggressive driving leads to. Don’t we? Well, in general it leads to more accidents, and maintenance costs for vehicles. No business can afford to risk either of those things if they want to remain profitable.
Improve driving habits
Another key part of checking your drivers, is getting the “best” of your crew to rub off on the rest. Give them leading roles in educating the rest of the group on good and effective driving behaviors. Also, hold special training sessions on these subjects – and other related topics such as fuel efficiency and maintenance – get notifications on your phone from tracking trips. It’s up to you to set the standard for your drivers’ proper behavior on the road.
Handle ELDs like a champ
Many view the ELD law as the Dodd-Frank law of the trucking industry. Just in case you don’t know what the Dodd-Frank law is, it’s the comprehensive reform bill that places strict regulations on lenders and banks in an effort to protect consumers.
And so, to the ELD (electronic device logging) regulation. It basically requires ELD use by commercial drivers, who must prepare hours-of-service (HOS) records of duty status (RODS). Apart from that ELD law, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) also:
- Sets ELD performance and design standards, and requires ELDs to be certified and registered with FMCSA.
- Establishes what supporting documents drivers and carriers are required to keep.
- Prohibits harassment of drivers based on ELD data or connected technology(such as vehicle management system). The rule also provides recourse for drivers who believe they have been harassed.
Veturilo is not designed for this type of logging. But we thought you should know about it, all the same. You can read the full information about the regulations on the FMCSA website.
Keep your engine in pristine condition
This may seem like stating the obvious, but even the best fleet manager, or best small business owner with the greatest intentions at heart, can all fall foul of this. There’s always a temptation to use shortcuts, skip a service or some maintenance work as long as vehicles are running smoothly. But, you are only setting yourself up to fail if you follow such policies.
It’s essential to be stringent and vigilant with your fleet maintenance, another point Veturilo can help a great deal with. Hello, tracking your engine warning notifications from your phone anyone? The technology is there to use, complete with DTC alerts. We’ve talked about their usefulness, time and again. So be wise and use it, or you face having to pay the penalty later down the line.
Use the extra time wisely
There you have it. There’s plenty you can do to prepare your business for the rearranged International Roadcheck when the time comes. So, take the time to try out some of the above, and get preparations going, so you can make the most of this new challenging period so you can have all of your vehicles in tip-top shape.
